I need to know if i have bipolar disorder or just depression. It seems like a great majority of the time i feel empty and sad and i have had suicidal thoughts on many occasions and no i have never wanted to kill myself and i never will. Also though i can feel happy but it seems like it never lasts long and when im happy its like im overly happy? Im so confused

Bi Polar is a bit more intense than being 'happy'. It's about fairly wild swings btw'n extreme sadness and euphoria, marked by agitation, a difficulty thinking clearly, boundless energy that interferes with thought and action, etc. Both tend to run in families, so if a close blood relative has one, you're more likely to have it, too.

Regardless of what it is, though, feeling suicidal is an indication that something's going on that should be assessed by a doctor. Tell your folks about it.

Bi Polar is a bit more intense than being 'happy'. It's about fairly wild swings btw'n extreme sadness and euphoria, marked by agitation, a difficulty thinking clearly, boundless energy that interferes with thought and action, etc. Both tend to run in families, so if a close blood relative has one, you're more likely to have it, too.

Regardless of what it is, though, feeling suicidal is an indication that something's going on that should be assessed by a doctor. Tell your folks about it.

I second this.

When I was still experiencing the effects of bi-polar, my mood swings weren't just mild ones, there were intense. One minute I'd go from feeling like I just wanted to crawl up and die to sitting there laughing my head off at completely nonsensical things or running around. Also, as Sam pointed out, it really does affect you in other ways i.e. how well you can concentrate / make logical decisions about things.

Try telling us about your symptoms in a little more detail and we might be able to help a little bit more

Ofc the ultimate answer is to go see your doctor though.

- Never take anything for face value, never trust the system and never put up with an answer that you don't agree with. It's about time people realised the truth of this world.

I need to know if i have bipolar disorder or just depression. It seems like a great majority of the time i feel empty and sad and i have had suicidal thoughts on many occasions and no i have never wanted to kill myself and i never will. Also though i can feel happy but it seems like it never lasts long and when im happy its like im overly happy? Im so confused

Before I say my opinion on this, there is a rather big problem. That problem is with the ambiguity and subjectiveness of the descriptions for "sad", "empty", "happy" and "overly happy". These may seem rather easy to comprehend, however, I want you to give examples of all of them and explain "overly happy".

"That is my ambition, to have killed more people, more helpless people, than any man or woman who has ever lived." - Jane Toppan

"There's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it's just a son of a bitch getting there" - Sully Erna of Godsmack

I need to know if i have bipolar disorder or just depression. It seems like a great majority of the time i feel empty and sad and i have had suicidal thoughts on many occasions and no i have never wanted to kill myself and i never will. Also though i can feel happy but it seems like it never lasts long and when im happy its like im overly happy? Im so confused

You might, although I cant say for sure since I dont know you;

It might just be stress and hormones, but you sould at the very least talk to a trusted adult about it.

[QUOTE=IAMSAM;508461]Bi Polar is a bit more intense than being 'happy'. It's about fairly wild swings btw'n extreme sadness and euphoria, marked by agitation, a difficulty thinking clearly, boundless energy that interferes with thought and action, etc. Both tend to run in families, so if a close blood relative has one, you're more likely to have it, too.QUOTE]

Ohhhhhhh I can agree 100% to Sam's first line; a (really, really) good friend () of mine has it, and one day we were in a park nearby our school and she was just so depressed, I had no Idea what was wrong! But next thing I knew, she just grabbed me and gave me the most passionate, intamite kiss you could possibly imagine. As happy as I was, I was bewildered at how fast she went from crying to outta control horney; that's when she told me she had bi-polar...

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It could also be bipolar type II, which cycles between depression and hypomania - not as intense as mania (no psychosis, may appear 'normal') but still carrying some of the same symptoms as mania (feeling invincible, irritability, poor attention span, hyperactivity, poor impulse control, nonsensical euphoria).

Or cyclothymia, which is a mild form of bipolar II, where instead of depression and hypomania, you go through dysthymia and hypomania, dysthymia being similar to depression, but less severe - you can still function.

The other thing to look at - what's the frequency of these mood shifts? Most commonly, people with bipolar disorder will 'switch' every few months, but there is also rapid-cycling bipolar disorder.

Also take into account that being adolescent will cause some degree of mood instability.

If you're having suicidal thoughts, you should talk to a Dr.

AAAND DISCLAIMER: I have no PhD. I am merely someone who spends a lot of time with shrinks.